2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s
12
Ranked Colleges
430
Degrees Awarded
$24,900
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 218th most popular in the United States.
Across the Plains States region, there were 444 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 430 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,046 and $29,021 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.
Top 12 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 30,318 students enrolled at University of Iowa were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 116 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Mizzou also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5.According to our most recent data, Mizzou supports 31,089 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,384. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Mizzou offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 9,507 students enrolled at UNI, 251 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,033. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNI offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UNI Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 52,017 students enrolled at UMN Twin Cities, 752 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 436 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,020. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UMN Twin Cities offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities]](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. UNK is located in Kearney, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
UNK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Of the 6,225 students enrolled at UNK, 183 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 71 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,539. In addition to receiving other benefits, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read More…
Winona State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Winona State University is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Winona State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Winona State supports 7,106 students, and 142 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 69 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,645. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Winona State University]](/colleges/winona-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Maryville, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
Northwest also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Of the 7,267 students enrolled at Northwest Missouri State University, 168 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,773. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Northwest Missouri State University Veteran Student Life Report
Pittsburg State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Pittsburg State University is a public institution located in Pittsburg, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Among the 6,398 students enrolled at Pitt State, 204 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 123 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,125. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Pitt State]](/colleges/pittsburg-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Duluth also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9.Among the 10,275 students enrolled at UMN Duluth, 249 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,883. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Missouri State University - Springfield is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Missouri State supports 23,505 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,830. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Missouri State University - Springfield]](/colleges/missouri-state-university-springfield/student-life/veterans/)
Southeast Missouri State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Cape Girardeau, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southeast Missouri State University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 344 of the 10,001 students enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University were GI Bill® students, of which 143 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,052. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Southeast Missouri State University Veteran Student Life Report
Emporia State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Emporia, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, ESU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 5,828 students enrolled at Emporia State University, 127 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,878. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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